Los Sugar Kings
Los Sugar Kings is a Boston-based quartet known for their energetic live performances and high level of musicianship. In their world, respect is paid in full to the traditions and forefathers of Afro-Cuban Son, Salsa and Rumba-Flamenca but the sound is very new, danceable, diverse and infectious. All four core members are individually highly-accomplished on their respective instruments but the true magic of Los Sugar Kings is how these individuals come together to put on a performance worthy of any festival, party, club or concert hall. From time to time, they will also add in additional percussion and horns, bringing their sound to yet another level thanks to some of the most sought-after musicians in the Boston area. Los Sugar Kings are currently performing regularly in the Boston area in support of their debut cd “LSK” and writing/recording their next release.
El Patino - Vocals, Tres, Guitars
El Patino is the son of two Cuban exiles. His mother: a classically trained pianist from Matanzas, and his father: a Latin lothario from Havana. As a singer-songwriter, composer-multi-instrumentalist and sizzling performer, he straddles both cultures with a sensual style and ease. Being one of only a few original Latin artists in the Boston area, el Patino has always enjoyed mixing genres to accommodate his diverse musical upbringing. From his youth listening to his mother play Chopin and Ernesto Lecuona, to playing guitar along with Beatles records, he went on to join several rock bands and even toured North America several times at age 14 with punk rockers, the Not. "The Not was my true high school education, and Braindance my college." says Patino, before a trip to Cuba to visit his family in 1998 opened up a whole new world for him. Not only immersing him in his Cuban roots but also introducing him to the sounds and rhythms of the native music. Inspired by what he had heard and experienced in Cuba, he returned to Boston with a new vision for his own music and the material to begin forging his voice. On one of these trips to Cuba he discovered the tres cubano, a guitar made of three pairs of strings tuned in octaves and/or in unison. He immediately had one made and began teaching himself how to play it. He is also an expert on vegetarian cooking, fine wines, esoteric knowledge, salsa dancing, and changing diapers.
Mikael Mersha - Vocals, Contrabass, Fretless Bass
Mik is a native of Ethiopia who grew up on the North Shore & graduated from the University of Massachusetts. He has performed and toured in and out of the country with a number of different groups whose stlyles range from R&B/Soul to Afro-Cuban Son/Salsa, African, Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Rock & Blues. Patino & Mik met during a stint in VoxPop, an experiment fusing poetry with world music, where the two forged a tight brotherhood. Their friendship grew during the recording of Mondo Sweetie's El Mundo Dulce and subsequent shows. When Patino returned from Miami in 2005, he and Mik immediately started gigging again with Yahuba and Tony Hall as "ReggaeSon", mixing Cuban Son with Dub/Reggae. The ReggaeSon gig didn't last but the lineup for LSK solidified in Salem, MA when Benny booked a steady weekly gig for LSK. When Mik isn't singing harmonies & playing his basses, he can be found designing websites, other CDs & DVDs, or painting portraits on black canvas.
Daniel Abreu - Saxophone, Piano, Vocals
Dan grew up playing music, first taught by the great Boston area wind player and teacher, Ray Taranto. Attending the youth music program at the New England Conservatory, he studied classical flute with Daniel Riley, and was a member of the mass youth wind ensemble which toured the western Soviet Union. He continued his studies at UMass Lowell with David Martin, and began freelancing in the Boston area where he earned a reputation as a solid session and live saxophonist. After graduating from UMass, he played with local funk favorites like Spingo Freen, and toured the east coast with New Soul Nation. He continued advanced studies in improvisation and composition with Charlie Banacos and George Garzone. Currently, Dan works in the music industry and has had the honor of performing on stage with greats like Parliament Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder.
Benny Benson - Drums, Percussion
Benny is a native of Ireland with a storied past.. He is known on the North Shore as a 1st call drummer who can play in any setting, be it Cuban son, experimental fusion, bebop jazz or straight up funk. Legend has it he was once a Leprechaun that traded his pot of gold for 1 plane ticket to America and a 1960s-era Slingerland drumset. Witnesses have also reported Benny's disappearance whenever rainbows are visible.
Gary Mendoza - Congas, Percussion
Gary is a San Antonio native who came to Boston to study architecture and made too many friends to leave. He is an original member of Mondo Sweetie and the unofficial road manager for the LSK as well as an excellent percussionist. Gary currently plays for a number of groups in Boston & Newport, RI. When he's not pounding on skins, he can be found surfing the waves off Newport Beach, riding his Harley, Smoking Briskit or putting together a lucrative business deal.
Yahuba - Congas, Timbal
Yahuba is a native of Boston, MA with cultural and family roots in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. In the language of his Puerto Rican ancestors, the Taino Indians, "Yahuba" means music or a 'grito fuerte y sonoro' (strong musical scream). His instruments include congas, tenor saxophone, timbales, bongo, assorted latin percussion, trap drums and vocals. Yahuba's father and uncle were founding members of the legendary Puerto Rican Nueva Trova pioneers: Haciendo Punto en Otro Son. His mother ran the light show for the band and this became the soil he planted his roots in at a very young age. Yahuba is currently touring the country with Ryan Montbleu and performing with Jen Kearney & The Lost Onion, and jams with LSK whenever our schedules mesh.
Garret Savluk - Trumpet
Garret Savluk has been performing and recording in the Boston area for 20 years. Some of his credentials include; Paquito D’Riviera, Tower of Power, “Big” Sam, Extreme, Johnny A., James Montgomery and Shaun Mullins. Along with being known as a top notch sideman, Garret also has his own thing goin’ on too. He was one of the leaders of the Heavy Metal Horns and currently has the Boston Horns has his main creative outlet. The Boston Horns and some of Garrets music are currently being featured on XM radio and have been released in Japan to adoring jazz-funk fans!
Henley Douglas, Jr. - Saxophone
This one man sax tornado's been tearing up the Boston music scene for over 20 years now. A monster of the tenor, baritone, and soprano saxes, Henley 's one of the most burning sax guys going. His playing is infused with raw emotion, pumping the Boston Horns to its heart and soul. Henley established himself on the Boston scene by forming the acclaimed Heavy Metal Horns with bandmate Garret Savluk. Originally put together as a hire-out four piece horn section, the Heavy Metal Horns recorded with the Del Fuegos and James Montgomery, and later accompanied the supergroup Extreme on a six month world tour. Soon Henley expanded this smokin' horn section into a full nine piece funk band, going on to stellar performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival and San Jose Jazz Festival.
Henry Terrones - Bass, Vocals
Henry started his music career while in high school where he teamed up with Henry Jimenez to form one of the first all Merengue orchestras in Boston. He later studied at Berklee where he honed his arranging skills. He has performed with most Latin Music bands and orchestras in the Boston and New York area, playing mostly Merengue, Bachata, Salsa, Son and Cha Cha Cha.
Amado Rodriguez - Congas, Percussion
Amado has performed with most Latin bands and orchestras in the New York, Boston area. He started his music career in the Dominican Republic where performed with acts such as Fernando Villalona and Johnny Ventura. He is proficient in all Africanand Latin percussion including Guira, Tambora, Conga, Timbales, Bongos, Djembe and other hand drums.
Los Sugar Kings is a Boston-based quartet known for their energetic live performances and high level of musicianship. In their world, respect is paid in full to the traditions and forefathers of Afro-Cuban Son, Salsa and Rumba-Flamenca but the sound is very new, danceable, diverse and infectious. All four core members are individually highly-accomplished on their respective instruments but the true magic of Los Sugar Kings is how these individuals come together to put on a performance worthy of any festival, party, club or concert hall. From time to time, they will also add in additional percussion and horns, bringing their sound to yet another level thanks to some of the most sought-after musicians in the Boston area. Los Sugar Kings are currently performing regularly in the Boston area in support of their debut cd “LSK” and writing/recording their next release.
El Patino - Vocals, Tres, Guitars
El Patino is the son of two Cuban exiles. His mother: a classically trained pianist from Matanzas, and his father: a Latin lothario from Havana. As a singer-songwriter, composer-multi-instrumentalist and sizzling performer, he straddles both cultures with a sensual style and ease. Being one of only a few original Latin artists in the Boston area, el Patino has always enjoyed mixing genres to accommodate his diverse musical upbringing. From his youth listening to his mother play Chopin and Ernesto Lecuona, to playing guitar along with Beatles records, he went on to join several rock bands and even toured North America several times at age 14 with punk rockers, the Not. "The Not was my true high school education, and Braindance my college." says Patino, before a trip to Cuba to visit his family in 1998 opened up a whole new world for him. Not only immersing him in his Cuban roots but also introducing him to the sounds and rhythms of the native music. Inspired by what he had heard and experienced in Cuba, he returned to Boston with a new vision for his own music and the material to begin forging his voice. On one of these trips to Cuba he discovered the tres cubano, a guitar made of three pairs of strings tuned in octaves and/or in unison. He immediately had one made and began teaching himself how to play it. He is also an expert on vegetarian cooking, fine wines, esoteric knowledge, salsa dancing, and changing diapers.
Mikael Mersha - Vocals, Contrabass, Fretless Bass
Mik is a native of Ethiopia who grew up on the North Shore & graduated from the University of Massachusetts. He has performed and toured in and out of the country with a number of different groups whose stlyles range from R&B/Soul to Afro-Cuban Son/Salsa, African, Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Rock & Blues. Patino & Mik met during a stint in VoxPop, an experiment fusing poetry with world music, where the two forged a tight brotherhood. Their friendship grew during the recording of Mondo Sweetie's El Mundo Dulce and subsequent shows. When Patino returned from Miami in 2005, he and Mik immediately started gigging again with Yahuba and Tony Hall as "ReggaeSon", mixing Cuban Son with Dub/Reggae. The ReggaeSon gig didn't last but the lineup for LSK solidified in Salem, MA when Benny booked a steady weekly gig for LSK. When Mik isn't singing harmonies & playing his basses, he can be found designing websites, other CDs & DVDs, or painting portraits on black canvas.
Daniel Abreu - Saxophone, Piano, Vocals
Dan grew up playing music, first taught by the great Boston area wind player and teacher, Ray Taranto. Attending the youth music program at the New England Conservatory, he studied classical flute with Daniel Riley, and was a member of the mass youth wind ensemble which toured the western Soviet Union. He continued his studies at UMass Lowell with David Martin, and began freelancing in the Boston area where he earned a reputation as a solid session and live saxophonist. After graduating from UMass, he played with local funk favorites like Spingo Freen, and toured the east coast with New Soul Nation. He continued advanced studies in improvisation and composition with Charlie Banacos and George Garzone. Currently, Dan works in the music industry and has had the honor of performing on stage with greats like Parliament Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder.
Benny Benson - Drums, Percussion
Benny is a native of Ireland with a storied past.. He is known on the North Shore as a 1st call drummer who can play in any setting, be it Cuban son, experimental fusion, bebop jazz or straight up funk. Legend has it he was once a Leprechaun that traded his pot of gold for 1 plane ticket to America and a 1960s-era Slingerland drumset. Witnesses have also reported Benny's disappearance whenever rainbows are visible.
Gary Mendoza - Congas, Percussion
Gary is a San Antonio native who came to Boston to study architecture and made too many friends to leave. He is an original member of Mondo Sweetie and the unofficial road manager for the LSK as well as an excellent percussionist. Gary currently plays for a number of groups in Boston & Newport, RI. When he's not pounding on skins, he can be found surfing the waves off Newport Beach, riding his Harley, Smoking Briskit or putting together a lucrative business deal.
Yahuba - Congas, Timbal
Yahuba is a native of Boston, MA with cultural and family roots in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. In the language of his Puerto Rican ancestors, the Taino Indians, "Yahuba" means music or a 'grito fuerte y sonoro' (strong musical scream). His instruments include congas, tenor saxophone, timbales, bongo, assorted latin percussion, trap drums and vocals. Yahuba's father and uncle were founding members of the legendary Puerto Rican Nueva Trova pioneers: Haciendo Punto en Otro Son. His mother ran the light show for the band and this became the soil he planted his roots in at a very young age. Yahuba is currently touring the country with Ryan Montbleu and performing with Jen Kearney & The Lost Onion, and jams with LSK whenever our schedules mesh.
Garret Savluk - Trumpet
Garret Savluk has been performing and recording in the Boston area for 20 years. Some of his credentials include; Paquito D’Riviera, Tower of Power, “Big” Sam, Extreme, Johnny A., James Montgomery and Shaun Mullins. Along with being known as a top notch sideman, Garret also has his own thing goin’ on too. He was one of the leaders of the Heavy Metal Horns and currently has the Boston Horns has his main creative outlet. The Boston Horns and some of Garrets music are currently being featured on XM radio and have been released in Japan to adoring jazz-funk fans!
Henley Douglas, Jr. - Saxophone
This one man sax tornado's been tearing up the Boston music scene for over 20 years now. A monster of the tenor, baritone, and soprano saxes, Henley 's one of the most burning sax guys going. His playing is infused with raw emotion, pumping the Boston Horns to its heart and soul. Henley established himself on the Boston scene by forming the acclaimed Heavy Metal Horns with bandmate Garret Savluk. Originally put together as a hire-out four piece horn section, the Heavy Metal Horns recorded with the Del Fuegos and James Montgomery, and later accompanied the supergroup Extreme on a six month world tour. Soon Henley expanded this smokin' horn section into a full nine piece funk band, going on to stellar performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival and San Jose Jazz Festival.
Henry Terrones - Bass, Vocals
Henry started his music career while in high school where he teamed up with Henry Jimenez to form one of the first all Merengue orchestras in Boston. He later studied at Berklee where he honed his arranging skills. He has performed with most Latin Music bands and orchestras in the Boston and New York area, playing mostly Merengue, Bachata, Salsa, Son and Cha Cha Cha.
Amado Rodriguez - Congas, Percussion
Amado has performed with most Latin bands and orchestras in the New York, Boston area. He started his music career in the Dominican Republic where performed with acts such as Fernando Villalona and Johnny Ventura. He is proficient in all Africanand Latin percussion including Guira, Tambora, Conga, Timbales, Bongos, Djembe and other hand drums.